Goat Cheese Can Make Perfect Sauce

April 30, 2003|By ANDY BADEKER Chicago Tribune

Taken on its own, goat cheese, even soft, mild fresh goat cheese, can be too much for some folks. But like its pungent relative, blue cheese, it's a handy ingredient, adding acidity and creaminess to all sorts of dishes.

Here the cheese melts into hot pasta, forming a sauce and binder with the spicy sauteed fish. Farmed steelhead is widely available, and in my supermarket at least, often looks better than the farmed salmon next to it. The exact spicing is up to you, as are the added vegetables: A bell pepper was handy.

MENU

* Steelhead and goat cheese linguine

* Asparagus salad with lemon vinaigrette

* Red zinfandel or pilsner

* Coffee ice cream

Time-saving tips:

Substitute canned salmon and stir in the spices at the end, but pick red salmon over the pinks for color.

A fresh pasta such as linguini would work.

STEELHEAD AND GOAT CHEESE LINGUINE

1 package (16 ounces) dried linguine

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/4 teaspoon each, plus more to taste: freshly ground pepper, salt

1/4 teaspoon each: sugar, chili powder or hot paprika

1 pound steelhead trout fillet

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 red bell pepper, cored, diced

4 green onions, trimmed, chopped

4 ounces soft goat cheese, cut into chunks

Zest of 1 lemon, optional

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 8 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

1. Heat a large pot of water to boiling; cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, combine oregano, pepper, salt, sugar and chili powder in a small bowl; set aside. Peel skin from fish; remove and discard the line of gray flesh, if present. Break fish into flakes; sprinkle seasoning mixture evenly over fish; set aside.